Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-07-09

again and went to sleep. But jess did not 60
to sleep. She sat by him there throughout
the night. until at last the cold lights Of the
dawn came cleaning through the window
and fell upon the white face Of the man she
loved. He was still sleeping soundly, and, as
the night was exceedingly hot and oppressive,
she had left nothing but a sheet over him.
Before she went to rest a little herself she
turned to look at him once more, and as she
did so saw the sheet suddenly grow red with
blood. The artery had broken out again.
Calling to the soldiers wife to run across
to the doctor, Jess shook her patient until he
woke, for he wa sleeping sweetly through
the whole thing, and would, no doubt, have
continued to do so until he glided into a
deeper sleep; and then between them they did
what they could to quench that dreadful
pumping flow, Jess knotting her handker-
chief round his leg and twisting it with q
stick, while he pressed his thumb upon the
severed artery. But strive as they would
they were only partially successful, and Jess
began to think that he would die in her arms
from loss Of blood. 1t was agonizing to wait
there minute after minute and see his life
ebbing away.
II don't think l shall last much longer,
Jess. God bless you, dear" he said. sThe
place is beginning to go round and round"
Poor soul, she could only shut her teeth
and wait for the end.
Presently Johns pressure OH the wounded
artery relaxed, and he tainted off, and, oddly
enough, just then the flow of blood diminished
considerably. Another five minutes, and she
heard the quick step Of the doctor coming up
the patti.
THANK God you have come! He has bled
dreadfully."
Il was out attending a poor fellow who
was shot through the lung, and that fool Of Il
woman waited for me to come back, instead
of following. have brought you all orderly
instead of her. By Jove, he has bled! Isup-
pose the silk hos slipped. Well, there is only
one thing for it. Orderly, the chloroform.n
And then followed another long half hour
of slashing and tying and horror, and when
at last the unfortunate John opened his eyes
again he was too weak to speak, and could
only smile feebly. For three days after this
he was i'll u dangerous state, for if tho artery
had broken out for the third time tho chances
were that, having SO little blood left in his
veins, he would die before anything could be
done for him. At times lie was very delirious
from weakness, md these were the dangerous
hours, for it was almost impossible to keep
him quiet, and every movement throw Jess
into III agony of terror lest the silk fastenines
of tho artery should break away. Indeed,
there was only one way in which she could
keep him quiet, and that was by laying her
slim white hand upon his forehead or giving
it to him to hold. Oddly enough, this had
more effect upon his fevered mind than any
thing else. For hour after hour she would
sit thus, though her arm ached and her back
felt as if it wore going to break in two, until
at last she was rewarded by seeing his wild
eyes cease their wanderings and close in
peaceful sleep.
Yet with 1t all that week was perhaps the
happicst time in her life. There he lay, the mar
she loved with all the intensity of her deem
nature; and she ministcred to him, and felt
that he loved her, and depended OH her as q
babe upon its mother. Even in his delirium
her name was continually on his lips, and
generally with some endearing term before
1t. She felt in those dark hours of doubt and
sickness az though they two wero growing life
to life, knit up in a divine identity she could
not analyze or understand. She felt that it
was so, and she believed that, once being SO,
whatever her future might be, that com
munion could never DO dissolved, and there
fore was she happy, though sho knew that his
recovery meant their lifelong separation. For
though jess had once, when thrown utterly
off her balance, given her passion sway, it was
not a thing she meant to repeat. She had, she
felt, injured Bessie enough already in taking
her future husbands heart. That sho could
not help now, but she would take no more.
John should go back to her sister.
And so sho sat and gazed ut that sleeping
man through tho long watches of tho night
and was happy. There lay her joy. Soon lie
would 10 taken from her and sho would be
left desolate, but whilo he lay there he was
heart to lay her hand upon him and SEQ him
sleep. for this desire to watch the sleep of a
beloved object Is one Of tho highest and
strangest manifestations Of passion. Truly,
and with a keen insight into the human heart,
has the poet said that there is no joy like the
JOY Of u woman watching what she loves
asleep.
The time went on and the artery broke on,
no more, and then ut last came a morning
when John opened his eyes and watched the
pale, earnest face bending over him as though
he were trying to remember something. Pres
emily he shut his eyes again. He had remcm
bered.
81 have been very i'll, Jess" ho said, after q
pause.
"Ycs, John.n
"And you have nursel me-" o.,
ayes, John"
Am l going to recover"
"Of course you are"
He shut his eyes again.
~ suppose there is no news from outsider"
mo more; things arc just the same"
"NOr from Bcssiefn
"None; w are quite cut off"
Then came q pause.
"John," said Jess, II want to say something
to you. When people arc delirious, or when
delirium Is coming on, they sometimes say
things that they are not responsible for, and
which had better be forgotten"
Eyes" he said; II understand"
$50" she went on, in the same measured
tone, tive will forget everything you may
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